How I Chose the Size of My Family
5 Families Share How They Decided How Many Kids They Wanted to Have
Why We Decided to Have 1 Kid
For Natalie Meisler, 40, and her husband, Irving, 60, becoming parents together turned out to be the best surprise of all.
The couple, who split their time between Aspen, CO; Birmingham, AL; and Palm Desert, CA, married in 2014 with no plans of ever having children. Irving already had three grown children from a previous marriage, so Natalie was more than happy to get her maternal fix playing the role of cool stepmom. That is, until the two learned they were unexpectedly pregnant with Franny, who is now 2 1/2 years old. "It was one of the scariest and one of the most exciting times of my life," Natalie said.
And as of about two months ago, baby fever set in. They both feel the timing is about right for another child, but are a little worried about the energy a newborn would require. "Franny has so much energy. She is just go, go, go, go. It's a lot. I know every child is different, but I'm just kind of worried if we have another Franny . . . how crazy that would be!"
Beyond that, Natalie shared that she once had a miscarriage. "If I get pregnant again in my 40s, I'm concerned I could miscarry again, or experience other complications," she said. But right now, they're at an "I don't know" point — which is not a place she's willing to be in if and when she brings another child into this world.
"We take being parents very seriously, and we want to be there for Franny and be as close to 100 percent all the time," Natalie said. "It's not something we want to just jump into if we're unsure."
